Best MLB Closers 2026: 10 Best Closers in MLB Right Now

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Best MLB Closers 2026: 10 Best Closers in MLB Right Now

Matt Johnson · Sportsnaut

Mon, Feb 23, 2026 ·

8 min read

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Who is the best closer in baseball right now? Before the first pitch of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, we're doing rankings for every position across the diamond. While the closer role isn't as traditional as it used to be, with managers now using their top relievers in the most high-leverage situations, the best closers in MLB have showcased their dominance in any situation called upon.

Let's dive into our list of the best MLB closers right now, ranking the best closers in baseball heading into the 2026 season. Because we're focused on closers, relievers like Garrett Whitlock are excluded.

1. Mason Miller , San Diego Padres

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There's a reason the San Diego Padres paid a premium to acquire Mason Miller ahead of the MLB trade deadline. He's led all relievers in strikeout rate over the last two seasons, with his 43.1 percent strikeout rate 4.7 percent higher than the second-highest K-rate ( Edwin Diaz ). Miller's ability to generate whiffs–100th percentile Whiff rate (45.2 percent)–also shows up in him allowing the lowest batting average to opponents (.148) in that two-year span. Those numbers tend to say a lot more about him than his 2.56 ERA (20th among relievers) since 2024. He's easily the top closer in MLB in our eyes, especially coming off a post-deadline stretch where he had a 0.77 ERA and 0.73 WHIP with only 7 hits allowed in 23.1 innings with the Padres.

Related: Best MLB Pitchers 2026

2. Edwin Díaz, Los Angeles Dodgers

There's a reason the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers splurged on Edwin Díaz this winter. Months removed from the bullpen being the club's only weakness, Díaz steps in as the natural fix. Heading into his age-32 season, Díaz is a three-time All-Star selection and just won Reliever of the Year for the third time this past year. The hard-throwing righty sports a 2.08 ERA (fifth) and 0.91 WHIP (second) since 2022, with the highest K-BB rate (34 percent) in the majors over that span. He's coming off a campaign where he ranked in the 99th percentile for expected batting average (.170), whiff rate (41.5 percent) and strikeout rate (38 percent). Even if he has a down year, as he did in 2024 and 2021, we're still talking about an All-Star closer who can record 30-plus saves with a sub-3.5 ERA and strike out 39 percent of the batters he faces.

3. Cade Smith , Cleveland Guardians

Best MLB Closers — Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians ' relief pitcher factory just keeps turning out studs: Cody Allen , Emmanuel Clase and now Cade Smith. He signed with Cleveland after going undrafted in the 2020 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in 2024. Since joining the Guardians' bullpen, he's been one of the best relievers in MLB. Among relievers with 100-plus innings pitched across the last two seasons, Smith ranks eighth in ERA (2.42) and WHIP (0.95), seventh in strikeout rate (35.1 percent) and third in K-BB rate (29 percent). He stepped into Cleveland's closer role this past season and recorded 16 saves, with one bad month (5.40 ERA in July) the only real blemish in an otherwise outstanding season (2.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 104 strikeouts in 73.2 innings). Heading into his age-27 season, there's every reason to think Smith will be an All-Star in 2026 and could finish top-five in the American League for saves.

4. Aroldis Chapman , Boston Red Sox

As a 37-year-old, Aroldis Chapman is coming off the best season of his career. That's saying a lot for someone who has a career 2.52 ERA across 821.1 innings pitched with 367 saves and eight All-Star selections. He finished 2025 with the lowest ERA (1.17) among relievers and the lowest batting average allowed (.131) with the lowest WHIP (0.70). He was sensational. Why isn't he higher on this list? Chapman had a 3.60 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across the previous four seasons, and walks have been an issue for him. Now 38 years old entering Opening Day, we just think there's regression coming from Chapman.

Related: Best MLB Catchers 2026

5. Jhoan Duran , Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best closers in MLB. It has to feel like a relief for a fan base that felt they were undergoing an electrocardiogram in critical situations when a reliever entered the game. Before coming to Philadelphia, Jhoan Duran had a 2.47 ERA across 233.2 innings in four seasons with the Minnesota Twins . That figure would've been even lower if not for a turbulent, by his standards, 2024 campaign with a 3.64 ERA. Upon taking over as the Phillies' closer, the 6-foot-5 righty registered a 2.18 ERA with a 1.88 expected ERA, struck out 33.3 percent of batters and had a career-best 32.1 percent K-BB rate with a .225 batting average allowed. The Durantula also has the best closer entrance in baseball. If he replicates what he did in the second half with the Phillies, Duran might be viewed as a top-three closer entering 2027.

Related: Best MLB Second Basemen 2026

6. Andrés Muñoz, Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners , similar to the Guardians, sure know how to develop electrifying closers. A few years after trading away Edwin Díaz, the club acquired Andrés Muñoz in 2020, and he became their best reliever two seasons later. Among relievers with 200-plus innings pitched from 2021–25, he sports the seventh-lowest batting average allowed (.179), the fifth-highest strikeout rate (34.1 percent) and the third-best ERA (2.28). He's also now coming off his second consecutive All-Star selection, thanks to a 2025 season with a 1.92 ERA, and he now has the lowest ERA (1.92) among active relievers in the past two years.

Related: Best MLB Third Basemen 2026

7. Josh Hader , Houston Astros

The highs with Josh Hader are right up there with the best closers in MLB. He showed that this past season, as evidenced by a 2.05 ERA (10th), 0.85 WHIP (fourth), 36.9 percent strikeout rate (fourth) and .154 batting average allowed (third). Unfortunately, he went down with a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder in August, and it's still unclear when he'll return to the mound. Durability is now a concern, adding to the fact that he had a 3.80 ERA in 2024 and a 4.22 ERA in 2022. Turning 32 years old in April, the inconsistency combined with the shoulder injury is enough to drop him to this spot in our closer rankings. Fortunately for the Houston Astros , they have Bryan Abreu (2.28 ERA, 35.5 percent strikeout rate and .195 BAA) ready to step in as closer.

Related: Best MLB Shortstops 2026

8. Abner Uribe , Milwaukee Brewers

It wasn't a smooth path for Abner Uribe to become one of the best MLB closers entering the 2026 season. Following an impressive rookie campaign out of the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen (1.76 ERA in 30.2 innings pitched), things spiraled out of control in 2024. The young righty allowed 14 hits and 10 earned runs in his first 13 innings (6.92 ERA) and then got into a fight with José Siri that resulted in a four-game suspension. He was demoted to the minors shortly after and then needed season-ending knee surgery a few weeks later. To his credit, Uribe put that all behind him in 2025. Among relievers with 70-plus innings of work, he had the lowest ERA (1.67) with the eighth-lowest batting average allowed (.192) and the eighth-best strikeout rate (30.2 percent). He doesn't generate a chase rate (28.3 percent, 47th percentile) like some of his peers, but he has a 1.70 ERA in 106 major-league innings with Milwaukee outside of that disastrous 2024 stretch.

9. David Bednar , New York Yankees

David Bednar's ERA over the last three seasons (3.96) is largely inflated by a rough April in 2024 when he gave up 12 earned runs in 8 innings pitched (13.50 ERA). From May 2024 through September 2025, the All-Star closer posted a more respectable 3.26 ERA. Impressively, he's coming off a 2025 season where he blew just 3 saves across 30 opportunities, and he was excellent (2.19 ERA and 0.93 WHIP) after being traded to the New York Yankees . Bednar doesn't necessarily miss bats at the same rate as his upper-echelon peers, but he is one of the most dependable relievers in baseball and he's proven capable of handling the pressure that comes with being the Yankees' closer. Not everyone performs well in that role.

10. Devin Williams , New York Mets

Devin Williams might deserve to be much higher on this list by the midway point of the 2026 MLB season. After all, he won NL Reliever of the Year twice from 2020–24 and ranked second in strikeout rate (40.8 percent) and ERA (1.70) with the lowest batting average allowed (.144) among relievers with 100-plus innings pitched. Everything changed with the Yankees. Williams' strikeout rate plummeted (43.2 percent to 34.7 percent) and his ERA ballooned to 4.79, all in his first full season back from stress fractures in his back. The New York Mets are betting big on Williams rebounding, and if their investment pays off, they'll have a top-five reliever.

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